


Snakes in the Garden

by zombiecheetah



Series: Where Loyalties Lie [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Loki (Marvel), Bisexual Sigyn, Canon Divergence - Pre-Thor (2011), F/M, Family, Gen, Logyn - Freeform, Magic, Romance, Sexual Content, Thor is a Ray of Sunshine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-07 18:28:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13440666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombiecheetah/pseuds/zombiecheetah
Summary: Maybe returning to Asgard a week before a coronation isn't the best time to rekindle an old romance with the future king's scheming brother. Or is it?





	1. The Prince, The Snake, The Legend

**Author's Note:**

> I play a bit fast and loose with Norse mythology for fun. Comments are appreciated!

“Remind me again why we did not bring back-up?”

Loki ducked as the tail of the giant snake whipped over his and his brother’s head. Thor laughed as he once again attempted to strike at the snake, which had been shedding off its damaged skin and replacing it with new in a matter of seconds.

“I thought you wished for time to bond,” Thor shouted gleefully, trying to knock the snake’s face back with his hammer, only for it to hiss at him, gathering him quickly in its tail and throwing him up and out of the forest clearing they were fighting within.

_Idiot._

Attempting to not turn this bonding time into a double funeral, Loki smoothly unsheathed and threw a dagger, hitting the creature right below the eye. The creature gave a low yowl of pain and whipped its tail around, hitting him straight in the chest and knocked him against a tree. His vision went a bit blurry, and when he blinked, all he could see were fangs and the bright purple burning venom the snake was now shooting at him.

Just as he was thanking the nine that at least blindness would mean he would never have to see his stupid brother’s face again, the venom harmlessly splashed against what one could only call an invisible wall.

 _Surely Thor has not learned…_ He turned behind him to see a woman dressed in navy, her hand thrown out as she stepped into the clearing. Loki could not help but smile.

“Sigyn,” he breathed as she came around and offered him her other hand to help him up.

“Mischief.” She seemed to never _not_ look absolutely stunning. Her smile was so warm and so enchanting that he all but forgot about the task at hand.

“When did you get back?”

“Focus,” she playfully insisted. She looked around, her force field still intact as more venom sprayed harmlessly against it. “So Heimdall was right that you two decided to take this creature on alone?”

“Heimdall talks too much.”

 “Speak for yourself,” she said, nodding towards the snake who now was enthusiastically attempting to bite through said force field. Just as Loki tried to speak again, they both turned to hear a cry from the God of Thunder, making a grand entrance flying back into the clearing, raising his hammer and allowing it to fall squarely on the top of the creature’s head. His lightning caught the knife stuck in its eye, frying the inside of the creature’s head, causing it to cry out once more before falling to the ground. Its tail flopped about a bit before becoming completely still. Thor, of course, looked solidly impressed with himself, not yet noticing the other person that had joined them and had saved his brother’s skin. Sigyn started to lower her hand and the field with it, but Loki stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

“Wonderful,” said Loki, straining to get a good look at the creature with his feet firmly planted in the ground. “Thor, be a dear and double check?”

“That was one time,” he huffed, giving another satisfying hit into its eye. Not even a twitch. “There. Happy?”

“Most satisfied.”

Sigyn, queen of level-headedness and grace, nearly rolled her eyes as she lowered her hand and the forcefield with it. “To answer your previous question,” she said, carefully stepping around the pools of venom, which had burnt the grass where it fell, “I only just now have returned. This time around was very slow moving. Lived as Sarah Rodriguez of Canada for a bit. Their currency is so odd-”

“Sigyn!” Thor said suddenly, having only now realized the woman in their midst. He offered her a hug. “It has been too long.”

“I agree,” she said embracing him. “I apologize for interrupting your special outing, but I, well,” she struggled to remain tactful, “I know you.”

 “I shall pretend to not be insulted only because you have gained the favor of my little brother.”

 She turned to Loki looking quite amused, as he sputtered slightly. “I am simply pleased to see-”

 He cut himself off, both Sigyn and Thor standing there watching him expectantly. He opened his mouth and closed it again.  

 “You will need to tell us all about your latest adventure,” Thor said, turning to Sigyn smiling, raising his hammer to call Heimdall. Sigyn nodded, looking back at Loki, seeming to take very little issue with the way he looked at her.

* * *

* * *

Ah, Asgard. Shining golden city of the gods. Or so they said. She just called it home, especially now in the company of friends. One like a brother and the other, well...

Loki seemed to be deep in thought about something, not at all paying attention to Thor’s puppy-like excitement about his coronation, his future reign, and all of the lovely parties and women thereafter. She knew Loki’s look well enough to know that this was probably not Thor’s first or even tenth time reciting this information.

“I specifically requested to come back for your coronation,” she only slightly interrupting Thor. “I am sure it will all be wonderful. I am looking forward to going over my reports with you rather than your father.”

“I look forward to seeing what exactly it is that you get up to on Midgard.”  

“It is all quite boring, I assure you.” She glanced over at Loki, a quick poke of her shoulder into his arm was cause enough for him to look up at her.

“Forgive me,” he said with a small smile. “There is still much to be done in preparation, of course, for my brother’s special day.”

“I hope your schedule is not too busy,” she said innocently. “You must tell me all the ways your brother has embarrassed himself while I was away before he can forbid you from telling such tales forever.”

Thor scoffed at the idea, launching into a story of how gloriously he had battled a particular this or that, but Sigyn’s attention had been captivated by the younger prince. Her joke had caught her another small smile from him at least, but she could tell that his mind was engaged elsewhere. “Is something wrong?” she asked him quietly, sure that Thor was too self-involved with his own story to hear.

“Not at all. It is good to have you back.” He turned to the God of Thunder who was now making large and obscene hand gestures describing a particularly violent event as Loki interrupted him, stopping their party. 

“Brother, do you mind escorting the lady home? I do have an outstanding appointment.” He gave the both of a quick bow with his head and ran off, leaving them both confused.

“Should I have left out the bit about dismembering the bilgesnipes?” Thor wondered. “He usually loves that part.”

“I am sure he does,” she said, biting her lip as she watched him run off. “Odd though, him leaving so soon after my return. Perhaps you spoke too soon in the forest.” 

“His affection for you is certain, Sin. Do not fret. He would not stop speaking of you since the last time you left. It grew irksome, actually. I cannot imagine talking about one subject for so long without everyone else around me wishing for my immediate death.”

She glanced up at the God of Thunder, not looking convinced. “If he shows you such that is wonderful but it doesn’t change the fact that just now he ran from me like I was a Midgardian plague.”

Thor placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “A beautiful plague at that.”

She smirked. “You are terrible.”

He furrowed his brow, though his tone remained playful. “That is no way to speak to a King.”

“My deepest apologies,” she said as they continued to walk. “You are terrible, your majesty.”

“Much improved.”


	2. Those Moments Long Forgotten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki reflects on old times while drumming up a plan that will finally pull him ahead of his brother. Sif and Sigyn have some girl talk over swords and Sigyn and Loki discuss their past and future courtship. In a darkened hallway. What could possibly happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So originally when thinking through this AU I went "What if Sigyn was Phil Coulson in space?" and so this starts to lay some stepping stones for that. 
> 
> Comments are always appreciated. I'm on Tumblr as well as zombiecheetah so come and say hi!

_They had met in the infirmary._

_She had come out from behind the curtain to tell him his mother was fine, despite other healers telling him to the contrary. He had not believed her at first, demanding to see his mother and look over her himself. When he found that his mother was indeed, fine, she explained to him the techniques in seidr she had used to heal her, commanding his interest with ease._

_“What was your name?” he had asked._

_“Lady Sigyn, if it pleases your grace. Or ‘Sin’ as my friends call me.”_

_He had laughed. “What kind of friends call you ‘Sin’? Or do you have a sister named Transgression?”_

_“Brother, actually.”_

_It had taken him a moment longer than he would have liked to admit to realize that she had been joking._

One of the books he had pulled from his bookcase slipped from his hand and hit the floor with a hard thud, startling him out of his trip down nostalgia lane. He bent down and picked it up wondering if there was a worst possible time for Sigyn to have returned to Asgard.  

The sight of her had turned him back into a groveling teenager. Their friendship began hundreds of years ago, which immediately turned into a flirtation, and then something more than that, and then as soon as the concept of marriage started to form in their minds, his father suddenly had cause to send her to Midgard of all places for deathly long stretches at a time. They had agreed to part for the time being, with the promise that should things look up again that they would resume their courtship but that time seemed to be long past gone, until now.

But once again, the _timing_. He picked up an apple from the bowl of fruit on his desk and gave it a toss and a catch before lounging on his couch. He was determined to learn all there was about this ice realm for his plan to go smoothly. Besides, he thought, taking a bite of the crisp fruit in his hand, Sigyn had waited this long for him, there was no reason to think she could not wait just a bit longer. He loved his brother, he really did, but the man needed a knock on his ass and if he had to be the one to bring him the knock then he certainly would be. Once he had proven his brother the ass he was, he would win his father’s favor and then nothing would stand in his way.

He hummed an old tune to himself as he flipped open the book, trying to get his head back into scheming, but instead could only think back on that memory.

_“I cannot help it if you have all of the good titles and names. God of Chaos, Silvertongue, Trickster…” She had paused for a moment thinking. “I like Mischief. Sounds almost gleeful.”_

_He had scoffed. “If you take to calling me Mischief I will most certainly have you hanged.”_

_She had not even hesitated. “Promise, Mischief?”_

He sighed. This book was going to be a very long read.  

* * *

* * *

 

“Shit, Sin.”

She and Sif were out on the practice field that afternoon sparring. Sigyn was not the strongest at swordplay, only having started studying once she had started going on off realm missions, but had just thrown Sif on the ground, sword at her neck.

“Forgive me,” she gulped, breathing hard and holding out her hand to pull the warrior up. “I am taking a bad meeting out on you.”

Her meeting with the Allfather had not gone particularly well. He had asked her to go to Xandar to speak to one of their commanders who had told her about an alien force that was invading some outer rim planets. The Allfather had been less than complimentary of the Nova Core’s efforts and had briefly considered their request for aid for the survivors and assisting with defeating said alien force before grumbling something about discussing it with the council. She had disagreed with his analysis which he had not liked at all. Then again, she never thought he ever liked her anyhow. Probably because she had bedded his son. That never helped parents like you, she found.

“No, please do,” Sif encouraged, taking her arm and standing. “Years of teaching you sword and this is the first time you have been able to properly overpower me. Maybe the Allfather should make you angry more often.”

“I mean,” Sigyn breathed, holding her side as she caught her breath. “Asgard has how many endless resources and gold and yet a small group of survivors is somehow beyond our reach to assist?”

“Well, he did not say no,” Sif said, brushing the grass off her torso. “The Allfather is only thinking of our protection. Anyone could be hiding out on those planets.”

“I suppose you may have a point," Sigyn grumbled, tucking her hair behind her ear, absentmindedly wondering if there was any type of magic in the nine that could make it stay up and out of her face. "Still, I have made multiple trips and after speaking to Commander Dey, I-" 

“Multiple trips?” Sif raised her eyebrows. “I thought you have only taken one trip to Xandar and that was to speak to the Nova Core about this particular request?”

“Of course. Only one,” Sigyn said innocently, sheathing her weapon. “To have gone on multiple trips of this sort would have been irresponsible of me and a misuse of Asgardian resources, as we have discussed. And would have pulled me from my mission on Midgard which would also be against orders.”

“Hmmm,” Sif said, looking thoroughly unconvinced, following Sigyn off the course. “Just be careful. Those who disobey the Allfather are usually found out through mistakes. Be sure to not make any.”

Sigyn sighed. “Hopefully, within the next few days, the noose around my neck will be considerably looser.”

“Thor will still be under the thumb of his father,” Sif said in a low voice, also sheathing her sword as they began to walk back towards the palace. “Though he is a dear friend, I would be wary of sharing too much too soon.”

“Thank the nine I have you to overshare with.”

“Fandral as well. I know he missed you.”

Sigyn’s ears perked at that. “Perhaps a little bonding time at the tavern-?”

Sif sighed. “Unfortunately, there is a social event we all must attend this eve. Some other dignitaries are coming in for the ceremony.”

Sigyn cringed at that thought of Asgard being flooded by the group of snobby, self-important, handsy royals and near royals she had the misfortune of meeting throughout the years. “Run me through with your sword now.”

“I believe Loki would prefer you not nearly as bloody,” Sif suggested lightly, her eyes looking a lot less innocent than her voice sounded.

Sigyn gave her a _look,_ while tucking another piece of dark hair behind her ear. “Loki would prefer many things to happen between us. At least I think.”

“You have never seemed to mind such suggestions before."

“I do not mind at all, it’s just…” Sigyn thought for a moment. “He has been uncharacteristically distant this time around, at least to me. And it’s been hundreds of years now since we were last properly together. Maybe he’s just changed his mind.”

“I would agree had I not just had to deal with his pining every day while you were gone.”

“Pining?” Sigyn smiled to herself, thinking of what Thor had said earlier. “I could make do with that.”

“I should think so,” Sif said as they walked along. “Though I will agree with your observation. Perhaps Thor coming into his own and actually inheriting Asgard has come as a shock to him.”

“Maybe,” she said with a shrug. “I will see if I can talk to him this evening.” She eyed Sif. “Are you going to talk to Thor?”

Sif's voice turned into a growl. “I will actually run you through with my sword-”

“I meant no offense,” Sigyn insisted. “I just know you care for him. He can be a little tactless at times but he is a good man. You know that he would treat you like the queen you most certainly are when he isn’t too busy looking at himself in the mirror.”  

Sif glared at her. “I hardly need a man nor wish to be queen.”

“I never said so. Just that perhaps pulling a Fandral in this situation would not be the worst possible thing to happen in your relationship.”

“When will you and Loki-”

“When will she and Loki what?” asked a familiar voice, coming around the bend of the castle as they entered from the outside.

“As the Midgardians say, speak of the devil and he shall appear,” Sigyn said smiling at Loki, who looked utterly entertained by the sight of the two of them. “Have you decided to join me in my quest to have Sif here gently murder us to get out of this evening’s event?”

“You should charge for that service,” Loki mused, watching the servants nervously rush around with various objects in their hands. “Is that why you have been training then?”

“I am still attempting to catch up on the thousands of years of training you all have had.”

Sif grinned. “You are catching on quickly.”

Sigyn scoffed. “Really, too kind. Let us all just be grateful that my years of study went into the healing arts as I most certainly will have need of them should I ever face battle."

She made him laugh. She always liked it when she could make him laugh. Sif took a look between them and feigned a sudden realization. “I need to go and meet with Volstagg and Hogun and make sure they are all set for tonight if you will kindly excuse me.” She was grinning the entire time as she walked away leaving the two of them alone.

“You never answered the question I set to you,” Loki said, tilting his head to Sigyn as Sif left them. “What exactly was dear Sif inquiring about?”

“A question that Fandral usually poses to me everytime I come back,” she said, as he accompanied her down the hall. “Something something about us resuming old habits. I just think he wants a repeat performance of that night in Vanaheim.”

“As well he should.” He gave a small laugh. “We keep incredibly nosey company, do we not?”

She gazed at him. “We do.”

His tone stayed light but became more careful in his wording. “I do observe that you find little shame in the question.”

She perked at that. “What exactly is there to be ashamed about?”

“The suggestion that a single maiden of virtue like yourself is yet again seducing a prince of Asgard.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I have not lost my touch have I?”

“No need to worry.” He paused his step and she paused with him, her eyes meeting his. “I never once have seen you work to seduce me.”

She smiled softly. “Vague yet promising.” She lowered her voice as she spoke, stepping in closer to him. “Come now, Mischief. When has there been a more perfect time? I am back in Asgard and, your brother will soon be in charge of my comings and goings and unlike your father, he adores me as well as you.”

“It’s just-” he glanced around for a moment, ensuring they were alone. “With Thor’s coronation fast approaching, he will need my support now more than ever. I have been planning day and night for it and though I care deeply for you, Sigyn, I do not have the time outside of such planning to dedicate to any other distraction until that crown rests securely upon his head. After that, perhaps, if there are no other missions that come up-”

“There will always be something-” she cut herself off now, her smile had completely faded, her eyes darting to the ground, embarrassed. She took a breath, composing herself and nodded. “I understand,” she said stepping back from him. “Forgive me, then, for distracting you.”

He caught her wrist as she turned to walk away. “Sin, I do not mean-” he cut himself off again, trying to find the words to say. “I do care about you, it’s just-”

“Mischief, if you have changed your mind that is fine but-”

She suddenly found herself being shoved into a small corner of said hallway, with his lips on hers. His sudden physical declaration of his affection made her heart skip a beat, as his hands cupped her face, pulling her to him. His lips were cool and it seemed like they were only on hers for the briefest of moments before he pulled away.

“Do not doubt my affection for you, my dearest Sigyn,” he murmured, his forehead pressed to hers. “We can continue this conversation later, perhaps?”

She looked up at him, breathless. “Can it be somewhere a little more private?”

“I will not make a promise I am not sure I can keep.” He gave her a wicked grin as he pulled away from her and walked down the hallway, leaving her feeling light as a cloud, staying against the wall for just a moment wondering what had just happened.

_Damn, Mischief._


	3. Mischief Unmanaged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Sif and the Warriors Three in tow, Sigyn attempts to play matchmaker at possibly the worst social gathering of the year. Thor and Loki discuss the future. There's some dancing involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always welcome and appreciated! Come hang out with me on tumblr where I am also zombiecheetah.

“You’re telling me that these Midgardians eat what?” Volstagg asked, shocked.

Sigyn was deep in conversation with Hogun and Volstagg notably towards the back of the room as to avoid the eyes, or she supposed just eye of Odin. She already had come to the rescue of poor Hogun, whose dance partner could not keep her hands to herself. Sigyn’s solution was now distracting him with stories from Earth while continuing to hand him various forms of alcohol as they were passed around on trays. As the healer of the group, she usually did not partake in the drinking in case of an emergency, but she had wondered at various points throughout the evening if now was the time to start. The people were more straight-laced and the party was more formal, unlike the more liberating Asgardian gatherings they were all used to. All Sigyn could smell was various floral perfumes and the sickly sweet smell of alcohol that made her stomach turn. A feeling she was trying her best to ignore while continuing on with her tale.

“They have these pre-made meals for one sitting in these aisles and aisles of coolers,” she described, leaning up against one of the walls, trying to give her feet a rest after a particularly harrowing dance with a Vanir with two left feet. “And they just walk up and down these aisles staring at all of this frozen food like the undead. Very strange.”

“And this is the saddest thing you have seen on Midgard?” Hogun almost looked amused. “Did you not say you visited them during two of their world wars?”

“I find mundane apathetic sadness to be the deepest kind of sadness there is," Sigyn said, trying not to think back to some of her more lonely stints on Earth. "Watching all those lonely Midgardians deciding between something fried or something with cheese made even me wish for drink.”

She was interrupted by Sif who had come over to their group in a huff. “Please remind me why we can not punch any of these people?” she muttered, grabbing a drink from a tray. “If I have to hear one more ridiculous ass proposition me…”

"You do look stunning. That gown is fantastic,” Sigyn insisted, evaluating her friend’s deep purple backless gown, frowning. “Actually, hold on, is that one of mine?”

“Perhaps,” Sif said with a sly grin. “You weren’t wearing it.”

Sigyn's gaze wandered over Sif as she examined her. “I think it may look better on you anyhow,” she finally admitted.

“Lady Sif always looks sublime,” a familiar man’s voice called, making Sif groan.

Sigyn’s face lit up as she saw Fandral fast approaching them. “Here comes a friendly face.”

Fandral, who always seemed to be making grand entrances and exits, bowed to her with a flourish. “Lady Sigyn, you have been at this gathering now for over an hour and yet we have not danced.”

“Truly a tragedy,” Sigyn replied, forgoing a curtsy for an embrace of her old friend. “I missed you.”

“And I, you, most spectacularly,” Fandral said with a grin. He glanced over at Loki, who was obviously interrupting a conversation between Thor and one of the commanders. “Tell me, how many more times do you need to travel out to the further realms and back until that raven on Thor’s shoulder makes his move?”

“Still in development, but promising,” she said gently but cryptically, glancing over at Loki who had spent the entire night on the heels of his older brother. She caught his eye for a moment, and smiled at him, which he briefly returned only for him to turn away and continue to follow Thor.

“Promising what, exactly?” Sif asked far too innocently.

Sigyn tilted her head with interest, still watching the pair of brothers. “Hopefully, something more fun than dancing if all goes well,” she replied. She nudged Sif in the arm with her elbow, leaning into her friend’s ear. “Look, once the line to kiss Thor’s ass slows, you should tell him about those who did not show you the proper respect. One, so he knows who is truly scum in this golden hall, and two, so he knows you have other options.”

“I can still get my sword,” Sif muttered back to her. “And I have yet to see you and Loki speak at all this gathering.”

“I am being patient. You are being avoidant,” Sigyn insisted. “Sif, come on. What do you have to lose?”

Sif did not answer the question, instead choosing to gaze off at Thor, making Sigyn give a sigh before turning back to Fandral. “You said something about dancing?”

“And how we should go do so right this moment,” Fandral insisted, taking Sigyn’s hand. “If us dancing together does not make the dear prince jealous enough to finally court you once again, then I will bed you tonight myself.”

Sigyn laughed and took Fandral’s arm and they both smoothly wove their way through the crowd to the dance floor.

Fandral excelled at the art of dancing, and her father, for all his faults, had taught her well. They breezed across the golden floor, both allowing muscle memory to take over and dedicated their full attention to the situation at hand.

“So he still will not bite, hmm?” he mused, glancing over her shoulder. “Shame.”   

“He wants to, Fan, but he simply is focused on other things at the moment.”

“Other things besides a beautiful maiden? What a ridiculous thought.” He smiled a bit deviously. “Do you remember that incident with the wedding?”

“How could I ever forget?” She grinned as their hands met and he spun her under his arm. “Thor looked spectacular in that dress.”

“That he did,” Fandral said holding her just a bit too close as they glided. “But, the way Loki looked at you during that ordeal, I thought he was going to propose to you there and then.”

“Perhaps it’s for the best he did not. I do not think I could possibly look better than Thor that day.”  

“None of us will be able to, milady. Tis the burden we all must bear.”

She laughed again, stepping in time with him, turning the conversation to his conquests both in the bedroom and out, almost forgetting about the liesmith whose gaze had not left them the entire dance.

* * *

* * *

He took a long sip from his stemmed glass as he watched the two of them spin across the floor, his cape and her gown seemingly intertwining with each other. Fandral and Sigyn had always been close and she had always been especially trusting of him despite his desperate habit of keeping at least three at a time warming his bed. Not that he had any place to judge, he had been one of those bed warmers more than a few times over. But there was still something in his gut that screamed at him as he watched his fling and his lover have a glorious time that he could never seem to-

“Loki? Are you alright?”

He snapped out of his haze to look at Thor, who once again looked as if he expected him to say something.

“Forgive me, I was thinking of something else…”

Thor gestured to Fandral and Sigyn with the bucket of mead he held in his hand. “Something else besides the beautiful woman who loves you, whom you, for some odd reason, refuse to speak to or dance with this evening?”

“I am not refusing, I have other things to attend to and she is a distraction,” he stated, distracted by the laughter she and Fandral were sharing over some shared inside joke of theirs.

Thor sighed. “I hope so. You need something more than books and magic to spend your time on.” He patted Loki’s shoulder. “She adores you, brother, as I know you adore her. Surely you mean to make her my sister soon?”

“I suppose that depends on you, _brother_ ," he replied turning to Thor. “As things currently stand, it is our dear Father who decides when she stays and when she goes.”

“I am sure he has his reasons, Loki,” Thor said as they watched the pair end their dance with a bow and a curtsy. “When I assume the throne, I swear that I will help you as best I can. I only wish for you to be happy.”

_Not good enough._

“Well then, I shall go and be happy then,” he said stiffly, handing Thor his empty glass. “Though perhaps you should ask Sif to dance before her gaze burns a hole through your chest.”

He left his brother stammering and smoothly walked over to Fandral and Sigyn, smiling all the way, trying to push the conversation he had with Thor out of his head. “My dear Fandral, do you mind if I steal away this charming young lady from you?”

“I believe that’s up to the lady.” Fandral looked over and winked at Sigyn. “Told you.”

Loki frowned. “Told you what?”

“Nothing,” Sigyn said innocently, reaching out and taking Loki's hand in hers and he allowed her to drag him back out to the dance floor.  

* * *

* * *

Loki was a more interesting dance partner but no less talented than Fandral. During the parts where they held together, he decidedly held her a bit closer than what could be considered appropriate between friends, his grip greedy, and his long fingers fully spread around her waist. 

“It is nice to finally see you tonight,” she said softly, gazing up at him. “I’ve missed doing this with you.”

“Forgive me, I have been with my brother all eve. Speaking to council members and impressing those with status on and off Asgard and so on.”

“Did you learn anything of interest?” she asked as he spun her around.

“Mainly that Thor is an idiot.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I would give Thor quite a bit more credit than that.”

“I can not help that you bring about the best in everyone. I have to deal with...well...not even the second best version of him.”

She frowned. “He adores you, you know that, right?” Loki’s face was unreadable and he seemed to be once again deep in thought. She sighed as she stepped around him, stumbling over his foot that he had not correctly moved. 

“Distracted?” she asked innocently, as the small trip snapped him out of whatever it had been that he was thinking about. “I would hate to keep stepping on your feet.”

As he recovered his step, his eyes focused on the black and lavender number she was wearing that evening, with gold beaded detail that she knew fit her like a glove and a neckline that ended just above her waist. His smile now turned mischievous and his voice smoothed into velvet as he spoke.

“That dress makes it difficult for anyone to concentrate on anything but you. If you descended upon Midgard now, I am convinced you could revive their religions of old.”

“Flirt.” She couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. “I was thinking earlier that I should have worn another number with a more plunging neckline.”

“Could you wear it outside of a bedroom?” His side smile was anything but appropriate for public viewing.

Her voice turned husky and low. “You did imply earlier that out of bedroom incidents were entirely within the realm of possibility.”

His thumb stroked the delicate skin on the inside of her wrist of her hand he was holding. “I did, didn’t I?”

She stopped them on the side of the dance floor, abandoning the steps they knew for another kind of dance she had very much missed. “They don’t call you Mischief for nothing.”

“Just like they don’t call you Loyalty for nothing.” He brought her in closer and pressed his forehead against hers. “Somehow it feels like you never left.”

“I like to think that I never did,” she breathed, moving her hand that had been clutching the leather at his shoulder to the side of his neck, her thumb now stroking his jawline. “I love you.”

“And I, you,” he murmured back and was about to lean down and kiss her but something caught his eye, making him lift his head. She turned to see that they had apparently attracted the attention of Thor and the other warriors, all standing around with drinks in hand, waiting expectantly.

“Seems like we are quite the show,” he muttered, as Thor lifted his drink to him, grinning.

“It seems that we are.” She gave her friends a wink before turning back to him. “Did you want to give them a performance?”

He considered her words before answering slowly, “Let’s leave them wanting more, for now. Though I’m afraid we can not leave here without being missed.”

“Hmmm.” It only took a moment of her thinking for her to look up at him with a worried expression on her face. “Are you feeling alright?”

His tone was serious but his eyes were full of glee. “Actually, now that you mention it, I feel quite ill.”

She reached up and felt his forehead, always cool to her touch and it was like she could hear Sif rolling her eyes behind her. “You are feverish. Best get that looked at immediately.”

“Of course, milady, we would not want me to fall ill so soon to my brother’s coronation,” he said with a cough, offering her his arm. “Shall we then?”

And with that she took his arm and allowed him to escort her out of the hall without a care in the nine, giving no thought to what secret things people were whispering as they left.


	4. As We Build Our Alter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Sigyn reconnect in more ways than one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those interested, there is a NSFW version of this scene under the same name as this chapter within this series. As always, comments are appreciated. <3 Hang with me on tumblr under zombiecheetah!

They made it to her bedroom, with her leading him in and him shutting the door behind them.

“Better?” she asked, leaning against her desk to pull her shoes and her headpiece off, her dark waved hair tumbling out of the headpiece. “I hate those stupid gatherings.”

“I much prefer this party,” he said, slowly walking over to her, placing his hands back on her waist. “Only one person to impress here.”

“Is this how you plan on talking about the whole courting again idea?” she asked him as his hands ghosted up her torso. “Or is this just another stroll down memory lane?”

He chose his words carefully as a cool tip of his finger started to stroke the bottom of her neckline where skin met fabric. He noticed her pupils were blown, the usual warmth in her eyes now replaced with a hunger that made it difficult for him to tease rather than just dive right into her. “I believe that the idea warrants discussion.”

“You seem to be distracted this time around,” she said, her breath hitching in her throat as his fingertips slowly, painfully, traced up her bare stretch of skin to her collarbone.

“Trust me when I say, my dearest Sigyn, that my only focus is you,” he murmured, gazing at her.

She stood on her toes, cupped his face and brought his lips to hers and for a moment he thought he had entered a dream. Her lips were warm and soft, but before he could respond, she pulled away for a moment, searching his face for an invitation to continue. He bent down and kissed her hard, dipping his tongue into her mouth as he pulled her into him. His teeth found her bottom lip and he tugged at it, and it wasn’t long before she was spread on her desk and then naked on top of him in a chair, the both of them worshipping at the altars of each other until both were gasping for air.

“Good?” he asked with a smile.

“Good,” she said, as she placed her hands on his shoulders, her legs unsteady as she stood from his lap. “Why we ever stopped doing this at all completely escapes me.”

“Indeed,” he said, smiling up at her. He reached up and moved a strand of her hair from her forehead to tuck it behind her ear. “Was this worth the wait?”

She grinned. “I may need a repeated experience just to make sure.”  

“I will not argue with that.” He nodded over to her bed. “You should get some rest. We both have long days ahead of us.”

Her grin softened, her hands still holding his shoulders, as she gazed at him, looking partly confused, partly hurt. “Will you not stay?”

“I-” He had planned on going over his strategy for the next few days and making sure all of the pieces he had neatly aligned were still where they needed to be. But the look on her face, and the moment they had just shared that had been so hard won, persuaded him to close his mouth and open it with a different answer.

“Of course, I will.” He stood and smoothly led her to her bed. As they both slipped under the covers, she turned on her side to face him, wincing slightly at the soreness of her hips where his grip had been a bit unforgiving.

“You are not a half bad lay, Loki Odinson.”

He scoffed as he wrapped an arm around her. “I had hoped you would describe my efforts in a more complimentary tone than that.”

She laughed. “I easily rank our sessions at the top of my experiences.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “I am glad that you are back. I missed you dearly.”

“I did my best to have an adventure, but I suppose I have just been growing more and more homesick each time,” she said, looking up at him. “And I have yet to find something as fun as that traveling circus I traveled with when I first went down there.” She laid her head on his chest. “But nothing there compares to this. Not even close.”

“If I were king, I would never send you away,” he said quietly, as he began to absentmindedly play with her hair. “You would never need to see Midgard again. You could do whatever you desire.”

“Or whomever.” She gave him a soft, knowing smile. “You are doing that jealousy thing again.”

“Just this once, indulge me,” he insisted, pulling her in closer. “You would never need to leave Asgard again, unless you wished to, and you could travel wherever you wished with whomever you wished, though I would hope that I would be included on these adventures. We could do more of this wonderful activity several times a day. And,” he paused for a moment before continuing in an even quieter tone, “I can not think of a more fair, loving queen to rule by my side than you.”

“Queen?” she asked cautiously, raising her eyebrows. “The sex was that good?”

His hand paused in her hair. “There was a discussion-”

“300 years ago there was a discussion, I did not assume you would still be interested in the prospect.” She sighed. “Perhaps we should start with the small promises first. Get me off the Midgard assignment, then go from there.”

His voice stiffened. “You do not believe I can create this future?”

She turned so she could see his face. “My dear, I know better than to ever doubt you,” she said smoothly. “But Thor will be king, Loki. And Queen I have little interest in being. But, my feelings on that prospect that we discussed those many years ago have not changed. Just set a date and tell me when to show up. I just request that Fan be on my side and my dress not be too shocking for the general public.”

“You would not wish to help plan?” he asked, sounding surprised.

“Mischief, if I know you at all, you probably have every single detail written down somewhere already complete with music composed by yourself and a script you are going to try to threaten Thor to stick to for his speech. Which, I will tell you right now, is not going to work.”

“At least pretend to be shocked,” he said dryly.

“You are better at all that anyhow,” she said with a wave of her hand, turning back around to stare at the ceiling with him. “I would not know where to start.”

He was quiet for a moment, thinking. “Even if you do not wish to be queen, Sin, you still have potential to be so much more.”

She stiffened slightly against him. “You may wish to explain that thought further because how that came out was that you do not believe I am enough as I am.”  

“Well, of course, I do not mean that,” he said, almost dismissively. “But if you wanted to, you could advance yourself past just being a healer on Asgard who occasionally runs around Midgard.”

“I _like_ being a healer on Asgard,” she insisted. “And I never heard a complaint from you when it was you I was healing. And your biology is the oddest I’ve ever seen in an Aesir. I thought you were going to die that first time.”

“But you managed, better than probably any other could. You think on your feet.”

“Look,” she said with a sigh. “How about we concentrate on convincing your father that 500 years was way too long for this mission to begin with and get me off that assignment. Then we can discuss what I can do after.” She smiled. “Besides you, of course.”

“Trust me, my dear,” he said smoothly. “I do believe that soon Midgard will be nothing than a distant memory for you.”

She sat up and turned around to peer at him. “Is that why you have been so distracted lately? Another classic Loki Odinson scheme?”

“Nothing, Sin, I am working on nothing,” he said in a voice he hoped came across as convincingly reassuring. “Go to sleep. I will still be here in the morning.”

She did not look any less playfully suspicious of him, but curled back up against him, murmuring what sounded like a “love” and a “you.” He smiled. The running to and from that forsaken ice realm, he had wondered on occasion if all of his efforts would be worth it. And now, as he lay there with Sigyn naked in his arms, he smiled. He truly felt like a king.


	5. The Calm Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigyn and Sif talk about their nights and make plans for after the coronation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet chapter tonight! Comments are always welcome and appreciated. And as always, I'm on tumblr as zombiecheetah. Come and say hi!

Sif went to knock on Sigyn’s door the next morning, only to have it open in front of her, and for Loki to step out of it, dressed, thankfully, with a cup of tea in his hand. 

“Morning,” he said, Sigyn following behind him, leaning up against her doorway with a glow that very much pissed Sif off. 

“So?” Sigyn asked Sif expectantly, taking a sip from her own mug in her hands before sputtering. “Oh, gods, Mischief, this is so yours, did you pour the entire sugar container in here?” she asked, offering him her cup. “How it is you still have teeth I will never know.” 

He exchanged cups with her and looked over at Sif. “So, how is my  _ dear _ brother this morning?” he asked her innocently, making a point to take a long gulp from his cup. 

Sif glared at him not answering the question. “I thought you were leaving. Or were you just running off to grab something else that’s sweet?” 

“I already ate this morning,” he deadpanned, giving Sigyn a wink before leaving the two women be. 

“That was more information than I ever needed to know,” Sif said, shaking her head, turning to Sigyn. “Is it safe to enter or do we need to go somewhere else?” 

“Don’t worry, I cleaned up,” Sigyn replied warmly, opening her door, gesturing her friend in and Sif had to admit the room did look pretty spotless. The bed was even made. Probably the perks of dating a sorcerer, she thought. 

“So how is Thor, then?” Sigyn asked, sitting on the edge of her bed as Sif paced around her room. “Please tell me you two are still on speaking terms.” 

“We are,” Sif murmured, pausing in front of her for a moment, her gaze firmly placed on the carpet. “Nothing happened. We just both parted ways after the evening was done and gone.” 

“Sif, I’m so sorry,” Sigyn said, frowning, crossing her legs on the bed. “What went wrong?” 

“I did not talk to him. I was going to and then I just kept thinking that he is going to be king in a few days and it would be irresponsible of me to present myself as a distraction to him especially now. It is my sworn duty to protect the throne and so I…” she trailed off, no longer knowing where exactly she was going with this.

“Everyone here has gained such singular focus since I was last around,” Sigyn mumbled taking a sip of tea. 

Sif did not know if she wanted to know, but still asked, “What do you mean by that?” 

Sigyn gestured towards the door with her mug. “Mischief gave me a similar excuse when I came back. _ Loki. _ Man so skilled at maintaining focus, back in the day we would try to invade each others’ minds for fun.” 

“Aren’t you two so well suited then,” Sif grumbled, walking over to the large window and staring out of it, watching the people below them go about their hurried business.

“Sif, that is not the point I am trying to make,” Sigyn sighed, with a wave of her hand. “I can’t tell you what exactly was going on inside of Loki’s head when he said that. Just that spending time with him helped the situation.” 

Sif turned back to look at her, irritated. “It’s different for the two of you, you have a history. Thor and I, perhaps we were not meant to be.” 

“Well, not with that attitude,” Sigyn remarked, swirling her tea in her mug. “Look, Sif. You have fought how many armies now? Thor is just Thor. Think of it this way. Once he is king, the pressure is going to be on for him to find a wife and create little heirs. I think he would much rather have that person be a trusted friend and capable warrior. Plus, I happen to know that his father likes you much more than he likes me.” 

Sif nodded, thinking through what she was saying, before looking up at her, her eyes widening. “Oh gods, you’re Loki-ing me aren’t you?” 

Sigyn looked at her confused. “What do you mean?” 

“You know, you take some big irrational idea of his and then calmly explain why it’s bullshit and then send him off to do something more helpful.” 

“I mean, when he listens to me, which is rare, sure,” she said with a shrug. “That’s less Loki and more I have had to explain to thousands of Asgardian mothers why their child is not going to die because of this, that, or the other.” 

“I see little difference between the two,” Sif teased, making her friend chuckle as she wondered if any of them were ever going to figure out these strange stupid feelings. Though perhaps her friend did have a point.  _ After the coronation, _ she told herself in her head.  _ After the coronation.  _

* * *

* * *

In the days leading up to the coronation, Sigyn and Loki both found themselves to be busy. One of the healers had asked her to assist in teaching a class on seidr in healing to the trainees and he was off doing the Norns knew what for the coronation. They stole away when they could to his room or hers. One of the times the cool wall of a darkened hallway had served the both of them very well. But between classes and their sessions, she couldn’t help but feel that there was something that Loki was still not sharing with her.

The day before the coronation, she decided to sit in the gardens on her favorite stone bench beneath a tree with a book in her lap, watching servants and different tradesmen from the area rush in and out with various objects and custom orders needed for the day. 

“Are you also hiding from the chaos or just the God of?” she heard a voice say behind her, making her turn to see that it was Thor, grinning from ear to ear. 

“Is that supposed to be funny?” she asked, amused. 

“I am known to, at times, to be so,” Thor replied, looking around proudly, hands on his hips. “And when I am king you shall have to laugh at all my jokes.”

She laughed, patting the cool stone next to her. “Now,  _ that _ is funny.” 

As he sat down next to her, she could not help but notice that he somehow looked younger. Or perhaps she had just expected him to look older now that he was taking on such a burden. “I am glad to have such friends around me. It is one of the reasons I am so confident going into my reign that I shall be the best king Asgard has ever seen.” 

It was like she could hear his brother whispering into her ear,  _ And also, the most humble. _

“It is good to have goals,” she encouraged. “I am happy for you. And hope that if the time comes you will call upon me to help you.” 

He nudged her arm with his elbow, perhaps a hair too roughly. “Well, if you are truly to become my sister, I am not sure you will be able to avoid me asking for your assistance.” 

She peered at him, closing her book entirely, her hand smoothing over the leather cover. “Interesting, I was not sure if he had discussed the prospect with you.

It became debatable in that moment if Thor’s smile or the sun was brighter. “He seemed concerned about your current position, but I swore to him that I would help the two of you in any way I could.” 

“Really?” she asked, truly now daring to hope that perhaps she would never have to see Midgard again.

“Of course,” he said, patting her arm. “He could not have found a better suitor. If he is happy then I am happy.” 

“Thank you,” she said. “Truly. I’m glad to be gaining such a brother.” 

His smile turned sly. “So about this wedding, I did have a few ideas-”

“Ask your brother,” she playfully cut in. “And how about we plan one large event at a time? I am sure we will have plenty of time after the coronation to place bets on what shade of green Mischief is going to dress everyone in.” 

Thor laughed and she grinned, feeling lighter than she had in a long, long time, wondering if perhaps this short streak of good fortune were the Norns apologizing to her for all those years away from her home, her friends, her lover. She took a breath and leaned against the tree, turning the conversation to what Thor was planning for his first few days as king, enjoying the soft quiet time between her and her future brother, feeling fully prepared for whatever awaited her next. 


	6. Fractured Devotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The phrase "after the coronation" comes back to bite our team in the butt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the beginning of the slow, downward spiral. Comments are always appreciated! Hang with me on tumblr! I'm zombiecheetah!

The first thing that should have tipped her off is that she woke from a nightmare with a headache. The second was that her hair actually stayed in place when she pulled it up and into her hairpiece, and the third was that Loki had not said anything that morning that was not tender in nature.

“May I ask what you were dreaming about?” he asked her quietly, his fingers fastening the back of her golden dress, gazing at her in the reflection of her mirror as she examined herself within it. “You nearly kicked me in the shin.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, gazing back at him, absentmindedly thinking about how pretty his eyes were. “I had not dreamed about my father in so long, that having one about him last night surprised me.”

“Your father was, if anything, a surprising man,” he mused, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His eyes flicked over to her left shoulder, which sported a small thin raised scar, barely peeking out of the fabric of her dress. “I think he may have liked me less than my father likes you.”

“Seeing that your father has yet to stab me in the chest, I will say that analysis is accurate,” she said, dryly.

He placed his hands on her waist and slowly turned her around. “You told me shortly after that incident, that the silver lining of losing one’s family was that you then are then able to choose your own.”

“I did,” she replied, looking up at him, brushing imaginary dirt off his shoulder, and adjusting his collar which did not need adjusting. “I feel as though you are about to make some profound point.”  

He placed a cool finger under her chin, tilting her head up, his gaze warm. “Just that I am happy to be that choice. After today, we can begin to plan our future. Make up for lost time.”

He leaned down and kissed her softly, making her smile as they pulled apart. “That is not a bad start,” she murmured, taking his hand into hers and led them both out of her room to make their way to the golden hall.   

* * *

* * *

And that was the highlight of her day.

She was pulled away from the group after the attack almost as soon as she arrived. A meeting with the Council which was long, confusing, and she had to keep repeating herself that she was stationed on Midgard, not Jotunheim on more than one occasion. At the end of said totally useless meeting, she found that Thor, Loki, Sif, the Warriors were all gone. Which confused her.

That was until she was checking her own room when a servant girl ran over to her. “Milady, you have been called to the infirmary,” she said. “Quickly.”   

When she arrived there, she saw Fandral groaning on a slab, with a large nasty looking gash in his shoulder, with Sif talking to him as some other healers.

“What the Norns is this?” she sputtered, looking at Sif.

“Quickly,” Sif called to her, as she gestured her over to the side of their injured friend. “The other healers are having trouble...”

That seemed to be understandable. The ones currently attending him could not have been more than a month or so into their apprenticeships, with the short blonde woman struggling to call forth a soul forge. “Ladies, gentleman, I can take this from here,” Sigyn cut in, as she went to Fandral’s side. She could see that something had gone completely through him, the gash surrounded by dead, frozen flesh and with pieces of ice sticking out

“The forge…”

Her hands beginning to glow gold over his shoulder, as she turned to the other healers, trying to keep her annoyance out of her voice. “Remind me later, I can show you how to scan without one but I need you all to leave and let me work, alright?”  

As soon as the other younger healers were out of earshot, she turned to Sif, speaking in a low voice. “What in the nine happened, Sif? Where have you all been?” she asked, eying the odd amount of furs they all were wearing. “And why do you all look so cold?” Her gaze went to Fandral, who was trying not to cry out in pain and only halfway succeeding.

“I need to know,” she said firmly, concentrating on easing small ice fragments up and out of his shoulder. The ice was still so solid she could have sworn it was glass. She was still met with silence, with Hogun and Volstagg glancing over at Sif who backed slowly away from the slab to lean against the wall, biting her thumb. Sigyn could probably guess where they had been but she still insisted, “ _Anyone_ at _any time_ …”

“Jotunheim,” Fandral finally croaked from the table, much to the displeasure of Volstagg and Hogun.

Sigyn set her jaw and cleared her throat, “And I was not invited to this very illegal operation because…?”

Fandral blinked and looked up at her. “We did not want to risk you and your position, milady,” he muttered. “Thor wished to go and wisely discerned that you would have convinced him otherwise.”

Her tone was in competition with the shards of ice to see which was colder and sharper. “Let’s all then take a moment to reconsider if that was a good idea.”

“I know, I know…” He hissed as another piece was raised out of his shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut. “ _Fuck,_ it burns…”

The cold in Sigyn’s eyes quickly warmed to something that resembled empathy. She adjusted her strategy, instead creating small yellow flames that danced over his skin that started to slowly melt the ice, as well as bring life back into his frozen shoulder.

“Better?” she asked quietly, watching his face.

He let out a long breath and nodded. “Yes, milady.” He took a shaky breath and looked over to her, trying to crack a pained smile. “Do we no longer let the other healers do their jobs?”

“Sif thought you deserved a more personal touch,” she answered blankly, not looking at the female warrior.

“More personal touch,” Fandral repeated with a small laugh that sounded like it hurt. “What will Loki think?”

“He’d probably congratulate you on your good fortune. Where is he anyway? And his ass brother? Thor and I are going to have words, mind you...”

It was Sif who spoke this time, quietly. “The Allfather caught us.”

 _As Loki would say, shit_.

Sigyn was silent as she finished healing his shoulder, rebuilding his skin and repairing the bone, when suddenly she felt a tug over her own shoulder. She swore she could hear Loki’s voice, realizing that he was trying to contact her in her head.

_Thor is banished. Return to your room. Stay there until I call for you._

She blinked.

“Milady?”

She snapped back down to Fandral and the others who were staring at her.

“Forgive me, I thought...well...it does not matter."

She nodded at the door. “If you all have to go deal with whatever mess you made upstairs be my guest. He’s going to be fine.”

Hogun and Volstagg slowly got up to leave, but Sif stayed behind to watch her close up Fandral and help him sit up.

“Sometimes, I forget you are actually quite good at this, milady,” he said, moving around his arm, pressing against it checking for tenderness.

“Fan, we met in here,” Sigyn said, raising an eyebrow.

“Those wounds were not from battle,” he said slyly, though his smile dropped when he looked over at Sif’s serious expression. “Less life-threatening, however.

She glanced over at Sif, anger now slowly rising in her gut. “So do I need to keep this off the record or can I go fill out paperwork now? Or is there another part of this you would like me to clean up for you as well?”

Sigyn couldn’t put her finger on why she was so angry, but she was. Maybe it was because all she could think of was that bit that Loki had said to her a few nights ago, something about _just_ being a healer on Asgard...

“Sin, that is not fair,” Sif insisted, raising her hands.

Sigyn snapped back. “How is that not fair?”

“You just would have been caught with the rest of us, milady,” Fandral said smoothly, looking at the two women, trying to keep the peace. “And possibly killed.”

Sigyn bit her lip, not wanting to say something she couldn't take back. “Give your arm a few days before you go back into swordplay,” she mumbled to Fandral.

“Both kinds?” he whined, trying to elicit a smile from her, but failed spectacularly.

“I am sure you can find positions where you are not working your arm,” Sigyn stiffly stated. “If you find you all need me again, I shall be in my room, updating Sir Fandral’s records.” And with that, she sharply turned and walked out of the infirmary and into the hallway.

“Sin,” Sif called out, running after her, making her pause in her step. “I’m sorry, alright? I did not think it was a good idea to begin with but, I thought if I went I could at least protect Thor if nothing else. And you were gone away somewhere else. It would have given our plan away to call you out of such a meeting, especially one where the Council is involved.”

Sigyn swallowed hard before turning to face Sif. “I am pretty sure someone slipped to them incorrect information that I was watching Jotunheim,” she said in a low voice to Sif. “Are you saying it was not you, or Thor?”

Sif shook her head. “Not to my knowledge at least.” She paused. “If it makes you feel any better, Loki did think to ask to bring you. Even if your swordsmanship is terrible, a forcefield or two may have helped us.”

Sigyn took a breath. Sif was right. She was being unreasonable. “Forgive me, then. I’ve missed so much already being gone...the last thing I would want to be to you all is an afterthought.”

Sif shook her head. “Of course not,” she said, placing a hand on Sigyn’s shoulder. “I do love you, Sin. You are a dear friend. And I do need to ask,” Sif said, a slight smile coming to her lips, “given what Loki said on the way, were pushing me towards Thor to secure yourself a sister?”

“Guilty,” Sigyn murmured, now remembering what Loki had said in her head, about Thor being banished and gone. Did that mean that he would rule? Or would Odin rule longer and just send her back to Midgard while trying to find Loki a more politically savvy suitor? Or would she be sent elsewhere as to not try to sneak Thor back to Asgard, after a very firm scolding and much groveling from him, of course. Any way the dust settled, this part of her plan, for now at least, was dead in the water.

She pulled Sif in for a hug, trying to not let tears fall or be the dasher of her friend’s hopes. “I am just glad you are all back and safe,” she said quietly, as she thought of that dream she had the night before. Something about her yelling at her father that she didn’t need him anymore. And something with him shouting back at her about how beggars can’t be choosers. That sounded about right.


	7. The King and I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigyn dives into researching Jotunheim. Loki is less than pleased with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always welcome and appreciated. Come say hi and get updates on tumblr where I am also zombiecheetah!

The next day or so was in a word, rough. She refused to stay in her room, and instead went over to Fandral’s room to check on him. However, she didn’t make it past the door. 

“I’m sorry, milady, but I have company and it would be rude to ask them to leave,” he had said lightly enough but the door shut in her face felt like an insult. 

The experience seemed to repeat itself. She looked for Sif everywhere, the practice field, the gardens, even her room where she truly never was. She swore she saw Hogun and Volstagg slip from at least two rooms she entered...or maybe she was paranoid. Sif had assured her that everything was fine. But still...

Loki she could be more forgiving of. For one, he said he would talk to her when he could. No one could have foreseen Odin immediately going into Odinsleep after banishing Thor. He was king now, something that she knew he had spoken of lightly before but could not have possibly planned on now. Maybe they had all just seen something on Jotunheim together that was too awful to mention to her. Sworn to secrecy. It was a stretch sure, but until Loki asked for her or one of the warriors decided to talk to her or Thor found a way back to Asgard, she really had nothing better to do. 

The library and she were old friends. She had slept in it, spent multiple days at a time not leaving it, and had used its bookcases for more intimate arrangements. She went to the section of the library on the other branches of Yggdrasil, her fingers dancing over the bindings, looking for the section on Jotunheim. What she found were two small books. In comparison,  Muspelheim, the realm of fire, had fifteen.

She pulled both of them and flipped through the pages, scanning over the words, finding the information to be basic, repetitive and, well, just not very good. Very little about the actual Jotuns, and less about the creatures of the realm. Most of the volumes were taken up with Asgard’s battling and the defeat of the frost giants, a history she already knew. She reshelved them, thinking over her options. This was not the first form of censorship she had encountered in this library. All this truly meant was that the really good books contained dangerous information, which meant the person who probably had such books was currently busying trying to reign over Asgard. 

She left the library and headed towards his room, not sure if this path she was traveling would actually give her answers, but for now, it was distracting her from her pain.

* * *

* * *

What he expected when he returned to his room was an attempt to try to sleep for the first time since taking the throne. What he hadn’t expected was to find Sigyn squatting in front of his bookshelves, rummaging through his volumes and volumes of books, already starting a small pile of them next to her. She didn’t immediately see him, so he stood there, watching her for a moment. Something was wrong. While he caved in on himself when there was a problem, she sprung into action, coming up with plans A, B, and C while he was in the middle of his own pity party.

At least this time he had some formulation of a plan. The secrets his parents kept from him still stung, his chest and throat were still tight, and he wondered, truly, what would happen if she found out. Sigyn had taken his nature in stride before, when the Wedding Incident, as they all affectionately called it, offered him an opportunity to slip into her other form without the usual taunts or dismissals of the group. Sigyn had barely blinked, said that she had experienced odder things before and none of them as attractive as- 

“You going to stare at me all day, Mischief, or say hello?” 

He snapped out of his thoughts, staring at her large dark eyes, her dark waves once again framing her face as they fell out of her updo. “Stealing from your king?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed. 

“I did not know that you being king meant that I can no longer participate in the time-honored tradition of us stealing each other’s books.”

He chuckled to himself, the closest thing to a laugh he had in all of this. “I never thought you would stop. When my mother placed your room next door to mine after you saved her life I do not think she anticipated that particular consequence.”

“Do you think she anticipated us?” she asked him quietly, picking up the pile of books she had found.  

“Knowing my mother, she planned it,” he said to her, slowly moving over and picking out one of the books from her hands. “Why else do you think she asked for you to study in seidr with me?” 

“To give you a challenge,” she teased. “That theory also explains why I was allowed to accompany you on the occasional mission or so.” 

“Like the wedding with Thor?” He glanced at the front of the book she had picked up and tried to not let his face give any kind of sign of the power the word “Jotunheim” currently held over him. He had missed this particular edition in his research as well. Maybe it would have helped him further avoid this mess, though things had turned in his favor. 

“We made spectacularly attractive handmaidens if I do say so myself,” she said with a grin. She seemed much more, dare he say, relieved.  

“That we did.” He nodded to the pile in her hand. “Trying to learn about those damn frost giants, are you?” 

“There really wasn’t much to choose from in the library. Though, you could just tell me what happened instead,” she suggested lightly as she pulled another volume and added it to her stack, making his chest tighten. “No one is talking to me and I am convinced that it has to do with something that happened there. Hence the research materials.” 

“Jotunheim was just a battle, Sin. That’s all. I am convinced that their distrust of you has to do more with me than with anything else.” 

She frowned. “Why would they distrust you?” 

_ Why indeed _ . He shrugged. “Apparently, they simply love Thor more than I. They’ve already come to me begging me to bring him back from Midgard.” 

She laughed bitterly at that. “He’s been there for  _ a day.  _ If only I had such friends, especially now that my job is considered a torturous form of exile.”

He had not even considered that. “I did speak to my father about bringing you back several times. I do believe songs were written about some of the more egregious tantrums.” 

“Knowing you, you probably wrote them,” she said, nudging him with her elbow. “Apparently, your father was not a believer in absence making the heart grow fonder.”

“I am so glad you are back,” he murmured, lightly touching her arm careful to only touch what was covered by fabric. He swallowed hard. “Sigyn, there is something I need to tell you.” 

She set the pile of books down on his desk and looked up at him attentively. “What is it?” 

The courage that he had attempted to summon during this conversation quickly failed him. She had just stopped being upset, to make her more so would just be cruel. That was the excuse he was going to pull at least this time. Besides, it wasn’t like he was not going to tell her eventually. But she was right, he had just gotten her back. He just could not risk losing her, not here, not now. 

“I need you to stay in here for a bit,” he stated, gesturing to his suite. “I am still trying to figure out this whole ordeal with Jotunheim and I do not need you running about when we still do not know where they are coming in from.” 

“I am not entirely defenseless, Loki,” she said, trying and failing to not look insulted. “I have managed before.” 

“Sigyn,” Loki insisted, thinking of another excuse, “People are aware that we are courting. With what happened with Thor and now with the throne falling to me, I do not wish for you to somehow become a target in this game. In here you are safe and I can protect you. And it would be one less thing on my plate.” He held up one of the books. “Perhaps you could read about the frost giants in here and when I return you can assist me.” 

She slowly nodded. “Not sure how I like the idea of being cooped up in here but if you want my help I will gladly give it.”  Before he could do anything, he felt her hand in his, her warm fingers wrapping around his cool ones. It felt nice, comforting, safe. 

“Once we are done with this ordeal,” he said softly, seriously, “perhaps we should marry before my father wakes again.” 

She carefully considered him and his offer. “I know you are joking, Mischief, but that is not a half bad idea.” 

He stared at her. “I was not joking.” 

That gave her pause, but only in the best of pauses, taking in what he had just said. “Are you sure?” she asked him, her tone light. “Even with everything going on?” 

“I can not see a better time,” he replied to her. “I prefer the chaos of the moment. Less planning than that damn coronation as well.” 

She laughed. “It’s settled then.” She stood on her toes and softly kissed his lips, pulling away after much too short a time. Her eyes glanced up and down his frame. “So does my king need to see to that frost giant issue immediately?” she asked him, her fingers dancing over the leather on his chest. “Because if not, I could assist in relaxing you...you are quite tense...” 

Her mention of the giants produced a thought that made his heart drop. Now they had agreed to marry and that would lead to heirs and what even would happen to her if she attempted to carry a half-Jotun, half-Aesir child…

“Is that a yes then?” 

He snapped out of his rabbit hole and looked down at her, once again looking worriedly up at him. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing, nothing,” he murmured, wrapping his arm around her waist. “You’re right, I could use a quick distraction.” And before she could say anything to the contrary, he tossed the book from his hand and leaned down to kiss her hard, pushing her up against his bookshelf biting her lip.

When she pulled away she was grinning wickedly at him and she sunk down to her knees and started to unbuckle his pants. “I swear to you that after I am through with you, you will never be able to ask anyone to kneel for you without blushing.” 

Just the kind of distraction he needed. 


	8. The Rise and Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki's secrets backfire in a big way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick warning as I know some people are sensitive to this, one of our characters is threatened not so nicely by an outside threat. 
> 
> Comments are always appreciated! Hang out with me on tumblr also under zombiecheetah.

Sigyn didn’t really care about being cooped up in his room. She was enjoying herself, her books, taking notes on what she thought would be useful. Loki made the occasional stop to reward her in the best of ways for her help before running off to do something else. If this was an honest look at their future together, Sigyn thought, then she could be happy with this.  

One particular volume that she had now spent a few hours on was interesting as it went into the biology of the Jotun. Her fingers grazed over the pages, and she even went so far as to conjure a seidr model to see if she could better understand the differences between their biology and Aesir. She could have sworn she had seen this type of biology before and could not place her finger on it until a particular prince now king entered the room and she started seeing a few similarities. The book explained why it had been so difficult to heal him that first time when he had been stabbed. Sigyn had asked Frigga about why his biology was so different and she had said something about an ancestor of hers passing on something or other to her son. Could Frigga truly be related to frost giants? It would explain why she had avoided Sigyn’s more difficult questions. And why Sigyn always seemed to be called whenever Loki was injured. Frigga had said it had been like she had cracked some kind of code in terms of her son’s biology. But she had treated Frigga as well, and Frigga was most definitely a traditional Aesir. So was Thor. 

“Loki,” she started, the Jotun model disappearing with a wave of her hand. “Can I ask you something?” 

“I am in the middle of something quite delicate at the moment,” he said, running over to his bookshelf and pulling a volume, scanning the pages.”

“Is that a book on seidr?” she asked, trying to peer at the bindings. “I can assist. Most of the spells in that volume work best with two users anyhow.” 

He shook his head. “No, no, just stay here and keep reading your books.” His tone was dismissive and he had not even looked up at her. 

She tilted her head at him. “I beg your pardon?” 

He looked up at her from the book. “I just mean that I should be done with this ordeal this evening. Just keep at it.” 

She set her book down. “I thought you wanted me to help you.” 

“And you are doing such a good job,” he said, his own face realizing that his tone was perhaps a more than a bit patronizing. 

She bit her lip, nodding, staring down at the bed, crossing her arms. “You just want me to sit here and wait then. Maybe show up at the end if you get hurt.” 

“Sigyn, don’t be like that,” he said with a sigh. “I really don’t have time for this.” 

“I thought you wanted us to  _ make up _ for lost time,” she said sharply. “I am not a child, Loki.” 

“Then stop acting like one,” he snapped. “I am King of Asgard. I can not give you attention every second of every day.” 

“The next words out of your mouth had better be an apology,” she said in a low voice. “For not only that but I’m beginning to suspect that you just want me to sit and wait in this room for the sake of sitting and waiting in this room. Why?” 

He stopped for a moment and sighed. “Forgive me. You are completely right. I do need you to stay in here. I can not tell you why. But you just need to stay in this room.” His tone became gentler but more insistent, desperate even, as he walked over to her. “I know this is not ideal. But, I promise. This is the last plan of mine where you stay in the background.” 

“Not an afterthought,” she said quietly, still not looking at him.

“Of course not,” he soothed, cupping her face. “You trust me, right? Just like I trust you. Absolutely with everything. Your loyalty means so much to me. Just...trust me. I know you do not understand now, but I promise that you will after everything is done.”

She was still not happy with that but took a moment to consider what he was saying finally looking up at him. “You promise?” 

“I promise.”  

She slowly nodded. “I love you,” she said gently. “So much.” 

“And I, you.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Try to get some sleep,” he said to her. “When you wake I should be done with all this. We can have tea and sit in bed and discuss our future together. Alright?” 

She slowly nodded. “Alright then. I’ll try.” 

“Thank you,” he said to her. He squeezed her hand and left.

* * *

* * *

When she woke, the room was dark, lit only by a few candles and she could hear someone rustling about. “Loki?” she murmured, slowly blinking as she peered into the room. She felt cool steel against her neck, and with a glance she saw none other than a frost giant, his yellow teeth gleaming against the blue of his skin.

She remained strangely calm, perhaps only because she was not quite awake. “This is not the first time someone has held a sharp object against me in the middle of the night. Perhaps you could instead let me know why you are invading my bedroom?”

“Insurance,” she heard him hiss. “We must be sure the son of Laufey follows through on his promise…”

_ Who the Hel is the son of Laufey and why would he care about me _ …

“And what promise is that?” Instead of an answer, all she could feel was the blade just slightly biting her skin, drawing a few droplets of blood. She was awake now and quietly gathered her  seidr together and closed her eyes, seeking the channel of communication that Loki had used before to tell her of Thor’s banishment. However, it seemed though he was keeping himself hidden, as she could not locate him anywhere in Asgard. 

Shit.  _ Perhaps Fandral, Sif…? _ She reached out to the other warriors, only then sensing a frozen Heimdall, and the faint voices of those on Earth who were calling to him. 

She opened her eyes, her sleep drugged fears now phasing into anger.  _ What was going on _ ?  

“You are a pretty one,” the giant said, a frozen gloved finger roughly sliding over her shoulder, feeling the thin scar there. “The little prince has good taste.” She was perfectly still, her eyes now searching for something she could call to her to use to escape as he continued. “Perhaps if the prince does indeed betray his father, you shall be my prize rather than my kill.” 

“Do you say that to all the women you threaten or just the ones your prince is interested in?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “I shall like to meet this prince who thinks so highly of me.” 

“Do not play the fool with me, little princess,” the giant hissed, “I can smell him all over your sheets, all over you. He was very specific about you.” 

She only then realized what the giant had been meaning this entire time. But, that was absolutely ridiculous, Mischief, a frost giant. Perhaps this was a trick gone wrong. He had convinced them he was some descendant, which may be partly true given what she knew. But if Loki was elsewhere and not answering her calls to his mind, as was no one else, then she could not count on them to get her out of this chilling situation. Abandoning the channels completely, she instead thought of fire, of rage, emotions that at this point were simple to call upon. 

She heard a commotion outside her door, the knife slipping a touch deeper into her neck. She gave a small cough before speaking. “If you are truly planning on making me some sort of personal toy, perhaps taking me a touch less bloody would be ideal.” 

“He said you were a negotiator,” the giant chuckled. “Perhaps we should go and let him decide, shall we?” As he made move to stand with her, she threw her hands up with yellow flame, burning his arm, making him let go of her with a yelp. She freed herself from his grasp and stood and turned to him, blasting him with the fire she had created until he was little more than ash. 

She stood and listened, for a moment, flames still tickling her fingers, as she waited to see if any others were waiting outside her door. Another loud bump and such and she decided to make her way out of the door, over to where Odin was sleeping only to find Frigga standing there, a few blast marks decorating the walls and floors.  

“Your majesty, are you alright?” she asked, her eyes darting every which way. 

“Yes, of course,” she said, peering at her up and down. “You are hurt.” 

“Mostly my pride at this point,” she said, still not quelling her flames. “Where is Loki?” 

“He and Thor are well, talking it out I believe. Or something like that.” She reached a hand out to her. “Come here, Lady Sigyn. Let me see that cut.” 

“Forgive me, your majesty, but I am not moving anywhere until someone explains why there was a frost giant in my room and why he claims Loki to be the son of Laufey.” 

Frigga was thoughtful. “Did he not tell you? I insisted you of all people would not be one to judge him by the circumstances of his birth. He was so excited at the prospect of asking you for your hand as well.” 

Sigyn blinked, confused by her calm. “It is true then, that he is of Laufey?”

Frigga’s voice was dark. “He is my son. Have I judged you wrongly then?” 

“Truly, your majesty, I of all people am not one to care about the bloodline of people one considers to be family, I am only picking out what he has and has not told me.”    

“I shall tell you everything, Sigyn. Just come here and sit with me a bit and let me take a look at that cut.” 

She took a breath, calming herself, lowering the flames in her hands and did all that she could do, obey. 

* * *

* * *

Frigga’s explanation did little to quell her anger.

The tale seemed too nice, too pretty, too wrapped in a bow for her to believe it completely. A little frost giant weakling left to die that Odin had the kindness of heart to take in? The whole story smelled of bullshit. Her grandfather, who had financed some of Odin’s earlier “adventures” as he fondly called them had said that the only thing you could count on an Odinson for was a beautiful fairytale. 

There was nothing beautiful about Thor coming in his father following behind him, looking torn apart, her heart knowing what had happened before her brain. 

“How?” was all that she said, not being able to look at him. 

“Bifrost. He was holding on and Father tried to talk to him, but he let go.” 

So much for making up lost time. Every word of Thor’s tale of Loki’s betrayal seemed to burn deeper into her, listening to all the ways he had planned around them. She was sure now it had been Loki who had slipped the information to the Council, that his determination for her to stay put was more so she would not see the edges of his plan coming together than anything else. 

The last things that he had said to her felt like an iron rod being driven into her chest. Trust. Loyalty. All that. 

But there was something else about this whole mess that made her angry. The fact that Frigga had not just come clean to her about her son’s nature. The fact that they had hidden it for so long from not just him, but everyone. Thinking his side of it through she almost couldn’t blame him for not telling her. Almost. She was still furious at him. Her trust of him had bordered on naive and the fact that he had not shown her the same in return, she could not lie it hurt. He could never be satisfied, she could never be enough. Had she done something, said something that would justify him not telling her? 

“Sigyn?” 

She looked up to see the remainder of the Odinson family now all staring at her. 

“Are you alright?” Thor asked her, looking at her. “Did Loki tell you anything?” 

She shook her head. “Neither Loki nor the warriors told me of their plans. I sat around and read about Jotunheim the whole time. Tried to help. That didn’t work."

Odin began to speak and she knew better than to listen entirely. The question that had to be asked now is what to do next. Pull herself out of Loki’s coping strategy and back into her own. They were all talking about a service, of how to remember a traitor who was also a brother and a prince. But Thor had said that Loki had fallen from the Bifrost still alive. The statistics were not good but at least warranted a search. She glanced up at the family. This would definitely be a mission of asking for forgiveness than permission. She could start with Nova Core, go from there. They were all obsessed with that titan but they at least had ears in the far reaches of space. She could steal a ship and go from there. Maybe steal some of Sif’s armor since she had none of her own. That she would not ask forgiveness for. 

“I beg your pardon, but I need to go and take some time to process all this,” she said, interrupting Odin to his general displeasure. “May I go?” 

“Would you not like to say anything at the service?” Frigga asked her gently. “He was fond of you, that much is sure. I am sure he would want you to say something, especially after everything.” 

Sigyn shook her head. “No, thank you. I would prefer to not attend, actually.” 

She walked out of there not being formally dismissed, all but running back to her room, and immediately set to work. She reached under her bed and pulled out a bag and tossed it onto her bed. Running to the bookshelf, she identified three books to take with her, one on the history of the bifrost, another on the outer rim and another on basic defense in seidr, just in case. She had not even heard the God of Thunder at her door and it was only when she turned to throw the books into her bag that she saw him and sighed, not pausing in her packing to speak. 

“I swear to you, Thor, I had no idea of his comings and goings. No one apparently trusted me enough to tell me anything.”

Thor’s tone was kinder than she thought it would be. “I believe you, Sigyn, truly I do. But I still must know what he did tell you.” 

“I would tell you if he told me anything of consequence. Unlike him, I am not currently in a place where I can afford the label of traitor.” 

“I never said you were one.” 

“You didn’t have to say it,” she said, now pulling out a dress and stuffing it in her bag. “You should know that I was planning on getting you off Midgard as well, just not as immediately as the others. Unlike them, I actually trusted that you could handle what you found down there.” 

“Is that what you are doing right now then? Packing to return to Midgard? I believe there are a few things that have happened while I was down there you should know about.” 

“I’m not going to Midgard.” 

“But you are leaving to go somewhere,” he said gesturing towards the bag. “You can not run from this, Sin. I wish we could but we can not. He would want you to say something, to be there for him. You know this.” 

She paused and was silent for a moment, the wheels in her head turning. Her eyes drifted to the ceiling of her room debating if she could trust Loki’s brother or not. Given how upset Thor was, she decided to give it a chance. “Mischief fell from the bifrost, correct? Which means that, however small, there is a chance he could be somewhere out there.” 

“Sin…” Thor immediately came over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Do not place yourself in more pain and confusion on his behalf. He is gone and there is nothing either of us could do though I wish we could-“

She interrupted him as she continued to stuff fabric into her bag. “He is not dead, Thor. I would know it. Feel it. I’m not speaking at his service because I’m not going to pretend he’s dead just because it may be easier for some.” 

“Do you think this is easy for me?” Thor growled. “Watching him let go? Knowing that he hated me so much that he tried to kill me?-” 

“So, why not look for him and get those answers?” she cut in. “Trust me, there are many questions, injustices I would like answered as well. But nothing is going to change if we do not get him back.”  

Thor would be lying to himself if he said her plan did not sound in the least bit tempting. “Even if there was a way to look for him we are all trapped here until the bifrost is repaired.” 

She almost laughed at his oversimplification. “I can fly a ship. I have contacts on Xandar that are already out researching the outer rims of space...I can speak with them, get the answers you and I seek and bring Loki back to Asgard...would that not be a worthy mission?” 

“It is not likely that you will find him, Sin,” Thor insisted. “I would not want you to waste your life looking for something you are not going to find.” 

“Ye of little faith,” she said cooly, shrugging his hand off her shoulder to move to her desk. “You can help me or not, but either way I am going. Even if I have to fight you out the door.” 

“Sigyn, I -” Thor stopped himself. Probably about to tell her to go bed Fandral, she thought, get his brother out of her system. But she watched his face change as he also thought through the paces before turning back to her and nodding. 

“Alright,” he said to her. “But if you find him, we meet him together, as a team, understand? I do not want you facing him alone.” 

She nodded, feeling more than a bit relieved. “Thank you.” Her fingers traced over the wood of her desk before speaking. “I am glad you are back. I did, truly miss you.” 

“I missed you as well.” He was silent for a moment before chuckling to himself. “Midgard was interesting, you are right about that. Such odd food. Pop-Tarts in particular.” 

“Can’t stand those.”

“I ate a whole box.” 

“Of course you did,” she said, a soft easy smile coming to her face. They stared at each other for a moment silently, before Sigyn moved from behind her desk to embrace the God of Thunder tightly, an action he returned in force. 

“Even if you are not my sister by law, you are by bond, Sigyn. Though I know your heart to be heavy, I am thankful to have you here.” 

“Funny. I was going to say something similar,” she said, before pulling back, wiping tears from her eyes. “I still need to gather some things together. I will let you know when I leave.”  

He nodded. “A team,” he repeated to her. 

She nodded. “A team.” 

As she watched him leave, she had to admit that she at least felt a little bit better knowing that at least someone was on her side in all this. Didn’t hurt that someone was the prince of Asgard. 


	9. Of More Deserving Arrangements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigyn gears up for her trip. Loki doesn't exactly fall on his feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always welcome and appreciated. Come hang with me and get fic updates at my tumblr, zombiecheetah!

Sigyn knew better than to try to sneak around Heimdall, so when she saw him approach her while she was standing on the edge of the broken bridge, she smiled warmly at him. “Is your job easier or harder now that you have a slight reprieve from transporting all of us around?” she asked him.

He took a moment to consider her question, crossing his arms. “It depends on the day. My eyes see everything. To be unable to send help when there is pain, that is a burden I will never truly grow used to.”

“Nor shouldn’t you,” she mused looking out into space. “I know better than to wish for your sight despite everything that has happened.”

“You will only find ghosts here, Lady Sigyn,” Heimdall murmured to her. “I doubt you will truly find the answers you seek.”

“Let’s just start with getting Mischief back, shall we? I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it,” she said with a soft smile. “If I don’t do anything, Heimdall, all this is going to do is eat me up from the inside out.”

He sighed. “Love does truly make fools of us all.”

“The least I can do is wrestle the bitch on my own terms,” she replied. “What did you think of my proposal? About using the broken bifrost pieces?”

“Dangerous and foolhardy,” he insisted. “Though it seems that despite my warnings everyone simply goes about their business anyhow.”

“It’s not a lack of respect for you, Heimdall. Perhaps it’s just an Aesir trait, ignoring wisdom and authority for the passions of the heart.”

“Or perhaps they do so to keep you in business, my healer friend,” he said, making her smile. “However, as we have established, you are doing this with my help or not.” He handed her a small black velvet bag. “This these are simply pieces of code in a system,” he told her. “Else we would have just these pieces rather than the entire bridge to move our people from one place to another. The pieces will not allow you to cross into deep space, but they will allow you access to places that you may not be able to open on your own.”

“Thank you,” she said as she weighed the bag in her hand. “I told Thor to contact me if he sees anything. Will you do so as well?”

He nodded. “I wish you good fortune on your mission.”

She pocked the bag. “He probably won’t be there but I’m going to check Midgard anyway. Let me know if there is some Midgardian treat you would like to try. What was it last time I got you?”

“A Twinkie,” he said, looking amused. “You said the humans were impressed by its long lifespan. It was not half bad.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” she said, putting the bag in her pocket. She thought about seeing Sif next but then had a better idea...

* * *

* * *

She knocked twice on his door and waited, hearing him from the inside.

“You are here early. I hope you remembered not to wear-” he threw open the door, shirtless with pants that were technically on but were on the verge of not being so,“undergar- Milady.” He took one look at her. “If you will forgive me, I have another appointment.” He started to close the door but was met with resistance from her hand.

“She is not coming, Fandral. Or the other four. I took the liberty of clearing out your night so we can talk.”

“I am not sure that would be wise, milady, given the current situation.”

“I brought wine for you,” she said holding up a bottle. “And I may need what the Midgardians call a rebound by the end of the night. If that is not enough to entice you, I am not sure what will.”

He looked her up and down, and took the bottle of wine from her. “I suppose you may come in then.”

“Thank you,” she replied, entering and closing the door behind him. She sat on his bed silently as he poured himself a glass. His room was lit by candles, his bed taking up most of the space.

“I realize that you may have taken offense at us not including you in our various dealings,” he began. “Truly though, you must understand, it was not out of malice that we did so. You were just doing a wonderful job of keeping our King distracted.”

“Yet, none of you have come to see me after, save Thor,” she muttered, crossing her legs on the bed. “And you and Loki have been on and off lovers now for centuries" She sighed, “The most hilarious part of all of this is that he didn’t tell me a damn thing either.”  

“He probably did his best to keep you in the dark for a reason, milady. We only did as we did not know if you would be agreeable to the plan, especially given the step forward in your relationship with him.”

“I guess the title of Loyalty does not go as far as it used to.”

“You had a hold on him that I could never have, milady.” He gazed at her as he sat down next to her on the bed. “Even the rare times when we all shared each other he was always clinging to you. The question became not if you are loyal, but who are you loyal to? Loki or Asgard?”  

“I’m not sure if this answers the question, but I am going to go out and look for him.”

Fandral blinked. “Milady, really, come now.”

“It’s already been decided with Thor.”

“Milady, he is not worth such a search party. I know you love him but it would save you so much pain to stay here.”

“Pain is unavoidable at this point, Fandral. I just can not leave this alone. One moment we spoke of marriage and the next he’s deemed a traitor and I just can not reconcile everything into one person. I am not even sure...what if a part of this plot was because of something I had done? Then I really must know-”

“Breathe, milady,” Fandral interrupted. “It surely cannot be through any fault of your own that he made the choices that he did and blaming yourself is only going to cause you uncertain heartbreak.” He reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “You are truly lovely. You have been nothing but kind to him and to others, including a terrible man like me.” He paused for a moment and then sighed. “When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow.”

He looked surprised. “So soon?”

“Do not look at me like that, Fan. I did not want any of this to happen, same as you. Now can you help get me hooked up with some halfway decent armor or not?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You aren’t asking Lady Sif?”

She groaned. “That was my first thought, but upon further consideration, I think I am going to have to leave and come back before I’m ready to talk to Sif. I’m only talking to you because I know you have access to the full armory and you at least had a healthy affection for Loki. You know how she is. She would not understand what I'm doing given what Loki did.”

“You would know if you spoke to her.”

“I don’t have time to convince the kingdom that this is a worthy idea, Fandral.” She sighed. “I’ll have a communicator on me if she wants to talk. But I need to get this done. So again I ask, if nothing else, can you help me in the name of all those fun nights you and him shared?”

He stared at her for a moment and then nodded. “I can, milady. I will.”

“Thank you.”

“But,” he said quietly, taking her hand in his. “I want you to remember that no matter what happens, we are friends, milady, you and me. As well as Sif and Thor, Hogun, Volstagg. Loki’s mistake was believing he was alone. You should know that you are not.”

She nodded silently and gave his hand a squeeze before letting it go free. Fandral laced his pants back up, threw on a shirt and led her to the armory.

The ensemble didn’t take long to create and she was easily able to recolor them in her own colors of black, gold and lavender. Fandral led her back to her room after, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I wish you well, milady,” he said softly and leaned down to kiss her warmly, his beard prickling her skin, before leaving her at her door.

She tossed the armor into her bag before thinking of one more missing piece. Taking a breath, she left her own room to the one next door, trying not to stare at the ash that still clung to the floor.

His closet was full, but she knew it well and it wasn’t long until she found a pair of his vambraces that fit her forearms well. A finishing touch. She stood and waved her hand, reshelving his books, putting away her notes, making his bed and clearing the ash from the floor before exiting his room, stopping at the door to take one more look inside of it, wondering if they would ever be happy and together here again.

She hoped so.  

* * *

* * *

He didn’t know how long he fell but that he eventually landed. Hard. And had immediately passed out.

When he woke he saw purple, aliens he did not recognize and a man in purple, a titan. One that he remembered Sigyn mentioning before during some far off conversation he could not quite remember.

_Sigyn_.

Of all of his recent failures, that one stung the most, though his failure to properly kill himself was quickly becoming a contender after a few sessions of unspeakable things at the hand of this thing.

He felt him there, in his mind, manipulating pieces, taking his pain and throwing it over the rest of his thoughts like a blanket and keeping it there, suffocating him with it, until pain was all he knew.

_What if I offered you a way out?_

_Just kill me. Please._

_Not when you are so useful, so wonderful. A king. Truly a king. Would you like to be a king? King of a world your brother so loves? Revenge is so much sweeter than death would you not agree?_

It had taken him a moment to consider, his sense of self-preservation taking over if nothing else. No one was coming for him anyhow. And if they were, no one could defeat this monster.

_And the girl. The girl would make an excellent queen for you. I could spare the girl and you could rule together. I can give you what you always have wished for just do this one little thing for me. Just this one thing. One thing and then you can have everything. No more of this pain. Unless you fail of course, but you will not, will you my dear, sweet prince?_

He knew it would only be a matter of time until he agreed. 

* * *

* * *

“Lady Sigyn of Asgard, how nice of you to join us,” Commander Dey said with a slight bow as she was escorted into his office. She had to admit that in full Asgardian armor she did look pretty distinguished. “What did the King of Asgard say then to our request?”

“Oh, he hated it. A lot,” she stated, causing his smile to fade. “But, I’m financing you anyway to the tune of this,” she said, handing him a piece of paper.

He glanced down at the figure, his eyes widening. “This much? Really?”

“Yes. But I do have a request.”

“As long as it isn’t illegal.”

“It isn’t.” _Well, at least this part,_ she thought as the funds she had procured, in addition to her small but significant inheritance, may have been embezzled from the royal family’s private stores. It would take them a couple years for notice and, hey, if she had Loki back by then, forgiveness surely would be hers.

“I have this friend who is literally lost in space. Outer rim area, I think. I need help looking for him. I’ll even lead the team if you’d like. If I’m going to bankroll you, then I might as well be fully onboard.”

“Reasonable requests,” Dey said, offering his hand. “Welcome to Nova Core, Lady Sigyn. Glad to have you aboard.”

She took it and squeezed. “Glad to be of service.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus ends Snakes! Thanks so much for reading! The first chapter of the next piece, "We'll Burn That Bridge When We Get To It," is now published!


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